LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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CHRISTMAS EVE 



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" Sit with me by the homestead hearth, 
And stretch the hands of memory forth, 
To warm them at the wood-fire's blaze ! " 

— Whittier. 



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NEW YORK : 

J. W. PRATT, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, 75 FULTON STREET. 

1879. 

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Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1879, 
By Ellen D. Quetting, 0)-J^ 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



Co mm P^ntjjer, 



THESE RECOLLECTIONS OF OUR EARLY HOME ARE 
INSCRIBED BY HER LOVING CHILD, 

ELLEN D. QUETTING. 



4f(mtitta$ in h %m\^mt 1{all 



Blest Memory ! whose silent flashes bright 

lUiinie the realm of mind ; 
Give back the smile and glance of light 

In heart enshrined. 

Blest Memory ! whose lingering echoes sweet 

The rolling years prolong, 
Give back like bugle-blast the voices of the past, 

And cheer my song. 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Wrapped in sweet musings of the past, 

There rises on my sight 
The scenes and home of other days 

In clear and vivid hght. 
How bright and gay the old hall looks ! 

Who did the garlands weave ? 
It seems a green and leafy bower 

This merry Christmas Eve. 
The doors are wreathed with mountain-ash. 

Glistening with berries bright ; 
The walls festooned with hemlock, 

With cross and star bedight. 
This home in festal splendor, 

So dear to one and all: 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Was christened by our uncle. 

Dear Frank^ as ^^ Branksome Hall/^ 
The house was built of wood, 

As strong as any fort ; 
And was^ for all the country ^round, 

The open^ free resort. 
The friend, the neighbor, welcome found ; 

The poor, the sick, forlorn ; 
No rest the Doctor had from calls, 

From eve till dewy morn. 
The wanderer found a downy bed, 

A rest from all his cares ; 
He turned no man away, lest one 

Were ^^ angel unawares. ^^ 



8 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

The mistress of the mansion, 

True angel, friend and wife, 
Bore with brave heart the burden 

With which her world was rife. 
She nursed the sick, mourned with the sad, 

She clad the needy poor ; 
And none went empty-handed 

Who asked alms at her door. 
The Doctor quoted Holy Writ 

His virtuous wife to praise. 
Who in the path of life had walked 

Consistently always. 
'^ Tour mother is as good,'^ said he, 

'' As any saint of old ; 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

^^ And she would never think of doing 
^^ Their deeds in Scripture told/^ 

Father and mother^ sister and brother^ 

Are seated in the Hall. 
This Christmas eve are gathered there 

EUen^ George, Mary, all 
Their friends — another Mary, 

Ellen's great friend is here 
(From a pretty village, miles away), 

To taste the Christmas cheer. 
Her open look and clear gray eyes 

Have heart and good will won. 
The beaming face and blooming youth 



10 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Are fair to look upon. 

Here come our uncles^ Ad. and Frank, 

Our mother's younger brothers, 
With us as much at home, I ween, 

As any of the others. 
Dear Ad., with heart like sound, good fruit, 

Which time more fully mellows, 
By the whole village is esteemed 

''The Prince of all good fellows;^' 
And Frank ! companion welcome ever, 

How paint thy social merits, 
That make thy company to all 

Like good wine for the spirits ? 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 1 1 

What is tliy humor, Frank, to-night ? 

From memoiy^s full treasures, 
Wilt Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Scott, 

Repeat in ample measures ? 
Or Virgil/ Cicero, and Livy, 

With rapture so translate. 
One feels the classic mind of old 

Thy genius well can mate. 
Macauley, Webster, Clay, and Burke, 

With voice, and look, and tone ; 
Thou canst for hours their words repeat. 

As if they were thine own. 
Wilt, in thy attitude and style. 

With Kean and Forrest vie. 



12 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

And show the worthies of the town 

In matchless mimicry. 
Thou know^st in hvely wit and jest, 

And sprightly repartee^ 
In friendly bout to sally out 

In '' goodlie companie.^^ 

Now come the Academy teachers, 
And neighbors with their dames, 

And children in the sitting-room 
Play noisy, happy games. 

As conversation now begins 
Its mingled busy hum, 

A loud knock at the door is heard — 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 13 

What visitor has come ? 
A figure, wrapped in snowy garb, 

Chilled from a long, cold ride, 
Is ushered in — he cannot stay — 

Tis messenger and guide. 
On the lake shore, ten miles away, 

By an unbroken road, 
A child is sick — brooks no delay — 

Must haste to the abode. 
The Doctor must with him at once. 

At duty^s earnest call. 
Our host and father turns straightway. 

And passes from the Hall. 
A quick good-bye — a backward glance 



14 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

At cheerful home and hght- — 
And speeding on at mercy^s call, 

He vanishes in night ; 
And silence for a moment falls 

Upon the busy throng, 
And sympathizing glances 

From eyes now pass along. 
Our mother, trained in duty^s path 

Unquestioning to walk, 
With one brief sigh says quickly 

Kind words to link the talk. 

'^Oome, Julia, tell some legend old 
Of Knights of high degree — 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 1 5 

Of Lords and Ladies — Tournaments 

And deeds of chivalry ! 
Some stirring romance of old days^ 

Or tender^ moving lay^ 
Above the train of common thought — 

Befitting festal day/' 



JULIA'S STORY. 

Baron Arnold Von Collen lay dyings 
And tossing and moaning in pain ; 

And the Lady Elizabeth's tears, 

And weeping, and sobbing, were vain. 



16 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

The good Baron was of the Church 

A faithful and dutiful son^ 
But his ancestors in the dim past 

Were heretics — every one. 

They fought with the Brandenburg army, 
With Gustavus Adolphus for might; 

And many a rood of good land 

They won by stout arm in the fight. 

When the thirty years' war was all over^ 
The Barons Yon CoUen had store 

Of worldly goods^ land, and of gold — 
Could their children e'er want any more? 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 17 

But time plays strange pranks in its course, 
With whirlwind and battle full rife ; 

And, two centuries after, the broad lands 
Had vanished in war, waste and strife. 

The old crumbling ruin at Jiilich, 
Where the Baron lay dying to-day. 

Looked down on the remnants of birthright — 
Two lone, straggling villages gray. 

The Baron now begged his sad wife 

For Father Ignatius to send ; 
Fears, doubts and perplexities vexed him, 

Consolation the Church could now lend. 



18 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Acolytes came with bell and with book, 

Chrismatorium with holy oil, 
And bearing on high, cross and pyx 

The poor dying man to assoil. 

The Jesuit brother came after — 

A monk gaunt with penance and fast — 

With expression cold, austere and sad — 
Eyes with zeal and devotion o'ercast. 

To the Father the Baron now said : 
^^ What penance can I, ere I die, 

For the sake of my soul and the dead. 
Do, in God's name, for sweet Charitv?'' 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 19 

^^ For the deeds of the past, my dear son, 

Thy ancestors many a year 
Have inherited torments and pains 

In the regions the wricked nov^ fear. 

^' Of thy goods, and thy houses and lands. 
Give the Church nov^ no poor meagre dole ; 

And from pains, and from wrath and distress. 
In mercy, deliver each soul.^^ 

'' Good Father, I have wife and child, 
To heart and affection most dear ! ^^ 

^^ Thy wife St. Ursula's Abbess shall be ; 
Thy son in the Holy Faith rear.^^ 



20 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

He guided the hand of the dying man. 
The deed was done ; and the Churches ban 
Rested no longer on his race ; 
And a smile lit up the pallid face. 
The monk now ended his holy function^ 
And the faithful man received the unction ; 
And the spark of life no longer fanned, 
The Baron passed to a better land. 

The Lady Elizabeth many a day 
Lived in the walls of St. Ursula, gi'^y ; 
And many a prayer and mass were said 
For the son now living, and the Baron dead. 
The brotherhood received the son 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 21 

As a soul for the Church's bosom won ; 
But the fires of heresy were not dead, 
And from the Jesuits he fled. 

To a distant land his steps he turned, 
And a fierce unrest within him burned. 
Outcast, he wandered many a year, 
And crossed to the Western Hemisphere. 
By the Duke of Hesse to England sold, 
With the Hessian ranks he fought for gold ; 
And like his ancestors, long dead, 
By his strong arm he won his bread. 

The Jesuit College, endowed with his lands, 



22 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

For a century flourished in their hands; 
And the hghts are ht, and the mass is said, 
O'er the faithful Arnold's escutcheoned bed ; 
But his recreant son, for heresy banned, 
Lies buried unknown on a foreign strand. 
No stone for his head, no mass for his soul, 
And his name erased from memory's roll. 

With kindly words, this ballad strange 

The patient listeners greet; 
But the mother gravely and sadly says, 

^'This tale is for our ears not meet.^' 
And Julia answers, ^^I can naught change, 

What e'er your feelings be, 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOMK HALL. 23 

I narrate everything for truths 
As it was told to me/^ 

A tone of sadness pervades tlie Hall^ 

And now one calls for a song. 
Whose voice is in tune^ young maidens? 

We wait — don^t hesitate long. 
Hettie, sing us the rhymes you have written, 

Although simple the ditty may be; 
We will give to our friends a warm welcome — 

Let the chorus ring out cheerily. 

She has a bad cold — Will, must join the refrain; 
She has sung nothing for — oh, ever so long. 



24 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

But plucking up courage with ahem — ^hem — 
^hem — 
She strikes up the tune^ and sings us this song : 

HETTIE'S SONG.. 

TUNE AULD LANG SYNE. 

To Branksome Hall each honored guest, 

Welcome and cheer to-night; 
For you weVe wreathed the walls about^ 
And hung the berries bright. 

So, Merrie Christmas to our friends — 

A Merrie Christmas, all ! 
May each be happy as a king 
To-night, in Branksome Hall 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 25 

For you the hearthstone high is piled ; 

For you we sing our songs; 
And they shall be of right good will 

That to the time belongs. 

So, Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 

The star that o'er Judea's hills 

Rose the first Christmas night, 
Has never yet returned again 

To dazzle human sight. 

So, Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 

But myriad shapes in flame and gold 
As symbols now are seen; 



26 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

And we have made a star for you 
Of shining evergreen. 

So^ Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 

All ^round the earth shall circle still, 

From eve to early morn, 
The tidings of that glorious day 

On which our Lord was born. 



So, Merrie Christmas to our friends, etc. 



The bells shall ring from belfries high, 
The chimes from each church tower; 

And angel choirs shall chant their song 
When strikes the midnight hour. 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 27 

Then let us keep this hohday 
With peace^ good will to all ; 

May each be happy as a king 
To-night, in Branksome Hall. 

» 
Our mother lifts her hand, and says : 

^^ In all our joy and mirth, 
Let us recall in distant lands 

One absent from our hearth. 
Far, in the pleasant sunny South, 

Are generous homes and free; 
May one its circle ope' for him 

In hospitality. 
May our dear Lord, this festal night. 



28 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Keep him within his ken/^ 
And every heart in silence there 
Answers a deep Amen. 

I glance around^ and see uncle Frank 
By the bright rays of the moon, 

Through the half open door beyond the Hall^ 
Like a goldsmith burnish a spoon. 

The group around him merry grow 

At the story that comes after, 
And at the end there follows now 

A hearty burst of laughter. 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 2D 

Asicle^ I propose to Mary to go 

And visit the sitting-room, 
To see what mischief the children do. 

We open the door, and before us loom 
Two tall ghosts spooking about. 

The children shriek and laugh by turns, 
Half in fear and half in doubt, 

While the lamp, turned down, dimly burns. 
Eva and Belle, each with a broom. 

Wrapped in a sheet, with nose and eyes 
Pinned on, stalk about from room to room. 

(Oh, childhood ! Oh, youth ! How time flies ! 
I have played the same games, 

And have had the same fears : 



30 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Laughed as merrily oft as any of you, 
And reaction has ended in tears). 

Like sudden bursts of April showers 
That dim the glowing skies, 

O^er-charged abundance spends its force — 
Refreshed all nature lies. 

At our appearance, the children all 
Came running at full speed, 

Glad to be rescued from their fears, 
In this their hour of need. 

'^Come, aunt,'^ says Clayton, ^^tell a story- 
Let it be something good ! 

Tell us of good St. Nicholas, 
Or of bold Robin Hood.^^ 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 31 

THE AUNT^S STORY. 

THE ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE. 

Twas the night before Christmas, 

Just ten years ago, 
The icicles glittered 

Like diamonds in snow. 
The man in the moon 

Took a peep o'er the wood, 
And the evening star twinkled 

Near by where he stood; 
And we knew 'twas the herald 

To prelude the morn 
That should tell to the world 



32 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

That the Christ-child was born. 
Old Prancer and Dasher 

Champed their bits at the door^ 
While the sleigh stood behind 

With the driver before ; 

And John^ with his fur cap 

And shag coat of brown, 
Looked as if he ^d just come 

From an Esquimaux town. 
The children were muffled 

In tippets and mittens, 
And were tucked in the sleigh robes 

As snus: as the kittens. 



George, Walter and Philo, 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 33 

Lucj; Mary and I 
Had just said to our mothers 

A parting good-bye. 
Aunt Lucinda lived on 

The great road to the East, 
And here all the children 

Expected a feast. 
We plunged through the snow — 

Hurrahed for the night — 
Were ever young hearts 

More joyous and light! 
The dogs followed after 

With hearty good-will; 
Now behind — now before — 



34 CHRISTMAS EVE IX BRANKSOME HALL. 

As we sped up the hill. 
The bells jingled loud 

In the frosty night air ; 
And we joked^ and we laughed, 

Without sorrow or care. 
We passed the gnarled chestnut trees 

Of the dark woods; 
By the thicket of hemlocks, 

All wrapped in white hoods. 
From each cosy farm-house 

The glimmering light 
Told of joy and good will 

And feasting to-night ; 
And the smoke from the chimneys 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 35 

Seemed to ns but a type 
Of the ascending clouds 

From St. Nicholas' pipe. 
We passed by the country road, 

Turned to the right, 
And the lonely brick school-house 

Appeared in our sight. 
Here the wind had piled up 

The snow banks so high^ 
^Twas a question to know 

Could we pass safely by ? 
We cry, here 's Mont Blanc ! 
Which we scale in a trice. 
The horses step slow 



36 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

On the glare of the ice. 
We safely ascend 

To the top of the knoU^ 
But descending^ npset, 

In the snow we all roll. 
What a scramble^ and shoutings 

And laughter we raised ! 
One had thought for a truth 

We were all somewhat crazed. 
George alone cried aloud^ 

He had broken his nose ; 
But the rest of us only 

Complained of our toes. 
John righted the sleigh : 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 37 

We were soon in again, 
And he gave to old Prancer 

And Dasher the rein, 
And we soon came in sight 

Of the cheering lamp-hght, 
That shone through the windows, 

So beckoning and bright ; 
And through the great gate- way 

We drove with a shout, 
That brought both the man 

And maid-servants out. 
Our aunt at the window. 

The rest at the door — 
And we met such a greeting 



38 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

As never before. 
Up the great stone chimney 

The fiery flames leaped 
From the back-log, and fore-stick, 

And pine knots, high heaped ; 
And the gleams on the floor, 

And the gleams on the wall 
Cast a reflex of comfort 

Alike over all. 
In his arm-chair sat nncle 

Content as conld be, 
With the Albany Journal 

Spread ont on his knee, 
And he beamed o'er his spectacles 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 39 

On the gay crowd; 
Took his pipe from his mouth, 

And shook hands as we bowed. 
We played bhndman's buflf, 

Ate nuts and pop corn — 
The happiest children 

That ever were born. 
Charles told of adventures 

By sea and by land, 
And we listened in silence, 

A wondering band. 
The wind now arose; 

And the roar of the blast 
Made us draw 'round the fire 



40 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

To wait till ^twas past. 
Maple sugar in a kettle 

Was hung on the crane. 
Then little recked we 

Of the storm or the rain. 
The candy was poured 

On a great cake of ice — 
Was ever the like . 

So delicious and nice ! 
The wind-storm blew louder; 

The sleet and the rain 
Pattered down on the roof, 

And shook each window pane. 
The tall clock struck midnight — 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 41 

^' Merrie Christmas ! ^^ shout all, 
For our aunt said^ ^^ To-night, 

None depart for the Hall." 
Each lighted his candle, 

And with kiss and good-night, 
We retired to our rooms 

To rest till daylight. 
My sister and I chose 

The curled maple bed, 
With the blue plaited canopy 

Over its head. 
The curtains were chintz, 

Where the hounds on fox-chase 
Were with hunters on horseback 



42 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Pursuing the race. 
These I often^ for hours, 

With wonder admired, 
And of subject and figures 

I never grew tired. 
One sounded a horn, 

His gun shing by his side; 
Others leaped over fences, 

Or ditch long and wide. 
We mutter our prayers. 

Ere asleep we now fall, 
And we think of our stockings 

At home on the wall : 
When faint from afar 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 43 

Came the sound of a horn — 
Had the stage-coach passed by, 

Ere the breaking of morn? 
But nearer it came, 

Borne on wings of the blast, 
Till close to the gateway 

It sounded at last. 
Then a knock — a low voice 

Was now^ heard, and a moan. 
That had moved any heart 

That was not made of stone. 
I arose, dressed in haste. 

And opened the door. 
And there stood St. Nicholas, 



44 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Just as of yore^ 
With his white beard and pipe, 

And his monstrous great sack 
Full of drums, dolls and trumpets, 

Strapped well on his back. 
He entered, all shivering 

And trembling, and cold; 
And he looked pale and ghastly, 

And feeble and old. 
He threw down his pack. 

And dropped down by the fire, 
And gasped, as if ready 

At once to expire. 
The yule-log still flickered; 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 45 

The embers I stirred. 
He gazed at me now, 

Aud said never a word. 
I lighted a lamp, 

And brought him some wine. 
He leaned on his elbow, 

And made me a sign. 
He told me his story 

In accents all broken; 
And his Will to his children 
• He left as a token. 
^^ My sleigh was upset 

On an icy snow drift; 
My reindeer broke loose, 



46 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HAI -I 

And have left me to shift 
In the wmd and the sleet 

Of this cold winter night; 
And Fve vrandered around 

Till this house came in sight. 
Now, spent by my toils, 

My labors are past — 
I have made my lone journey 

To die here at last. 
This land has great mountains 

Of silver and gold, 
Such as tales of 

Arabian Nights never told. 
Indians riches no long:er 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 47 

SiiflB.ce to supply 
Christmas presents — nor gifts 

For my children to buy. 
Times and manners have changed, 

Wealth 's increased, luxury spread ; 
And 'tis time, like my fathers, 

To rest with the dead. 
Will you, my dear child, 

My testament write. 
Set down the last words 

Of my Will, here, to-night? 
Take down the great ink-horn 

From off the high shelf. 
And a leaf from the Ledger 



48 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Is surely no pelf/^ 

^'My blessing to children 

All over the earth, 
Whose stockings I've filled 

Since the days of their birth. 
Let these children henceforth 

For their children a tree 
Of evergreen raise, 

In remembrance of me. 
Let them fill it with gifts 

For their households — the poor 
With a dole for the beggar 

That calls at each door. 



CHRISTMAS EYE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 49 

Let my efl&gy stand 

On the uppermost bough 
The Genius of Christmas 

Forever^ as now/^ 

His voice now grew fainter — 

St. Nicholas smiled — 
'' Make the sign of the Cross — 

Write Xmas, my child.'' 

He stretched out his hand 

To subscribe to the Will^ 
But his cold fingers stiffened — 

His great heart grew still. 



50 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

His eyes softly closed^ 

And he lay back his head, 
And I saw good St. Nicholas 

Wan, cold, and dead. 
My aunt stirred the curtains : 

I opened my eyes, 
And met her sweet smile 

With a look of surprise. 
'^The breakfast is served, 

Tou alone we await; 
Hasten now, to get ready, 

Or you '11 be too late.'' 
^^ And is it not true 

That St. Nicholas 's dead ? " 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 51 

Said I, lifting the counterpane^ 
Raising my head. 

^^I think/^ said Herbert^ ^^that a tree/ 

Hung all about with toys^ 
Would make a very pretty show 

For all the girls and boys.^^ 
^^I knew ^twas all a dream/^ said Houghton, 

^^For every Christmas night 
IVe hung my stocking on the wall, 

And had it filled up quite. ^^ 

Dream '^ of such stuff" as dreams are made/' 
Inwardly to myself I said: 



52' CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

Our grandsire oft in visions saw 

The future all unfold; 
And with prophetic word and look, 

Its scenes has oft foretold : 
And I possess this instinct fine, 

And presage often feel 
As deep, indelibly engraved, 

As writ by pen of steel. 
'^ Now, boys, ^tis time you all retire ; 

Lay down your tired heads; 
St. Nicholas, when he arrives. 

Must find you in your beds.^^ 
So, with ^^good-night,^^ and hearty kiss, 

We leave the roguish dears, 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 53 

To sleep in peace till Christmas dawns — 
Which flying time soon nears. 

We pass into the kitchen, 

And find before the fire 
Master George, with jack-knife, making 

A graven image dire : 
He has hollowed out a pumpkin, 

And cut out nose and eyes. 
And with a lighted candle. 

Anticipates surprise. 

Devillo enters from without, 
Clad for a frosty night. 



54 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

And opening wide his lantern^s door, 

Blows out the shining hght. 
True guardian of the fold and stalls — 

He ^s filled the racks with hay, 
That horses, oxen, cows and sheep, 

May have their holiday. 
For he has read, on Christmas night 

To dumb brutes speech is given, 
That all God's creatures may rejoice 

On earth with those in heaven. 

On a foot-stool sits Patsy Bloom, 

In the warm chimney corner : 
She ^s eating Christmas pie with plums, 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 55 

Like little Jacky Horner. 
The Doctor found her in a hut, 

Its shivering inmates chilled 
With biting cold and icy blasts, 

That every crevice filled. 
He wrapped her in a robe of fur, 

And brought her to his wife 
To warm, and clothe, and cherish her. 

And brighten her young life. 
^^ We '11 keep her, Ma, through this cold time. 

Until there comes a thaw.'' 
And here she sits, nor heeds the wind, 

Nor cold, nor weather raw. 
The cat is purring by her side, 



56 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

The ruddy fire-light streams^ 
And Caper hes upon a rug, 
And growls low in his dreams. 

Two younger Maries, with a grave 

And very important air, 
Are helping Norah to arrange 

The good, substantial fare. 
Rosy-cheeked apples mixed with green, 

All sorts of nuts and cake, 
And cider, wine, and steaming punch, 

Will cheerful spirits make. 
But the chief sight that greets our eyes 

Is a long line Against the wall, 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 57 

From which hang stockings ready^ now, 

For Santa Clauses call. 
Can the old fellow make his way 

Down such a chimney^ roaring 
With blazing fire from hickory logs^ 

Up which the flames are soaring ! 
^^ Faith can move mountains/^ children know; 

Santa Claus^ with his pack. 
Will surely find his way within 

Through chimney, door, or crack. 

Our visit to the kitchen ended. 

The children fast asleep, 
We look out of the window, 



58 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL, 

And see the snow piled deep ; 
And earthy fence, tree and roof, 

In light of the full moon, 
Glitter and sparkle in the night 

Like gems in rays of noon. 
The silver fleeces on the trees, 

That look so white and cold, 
Are all illusive — all a myth — 

Like Jason^s fleece of gold. 
The stage, on runners, from the East, 

Is coming down the hill; 
We hear the blast of driver's horn 

In the frosty evening still. 
And the runners creaking in the snow. 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 59 

As the stage comes rushing on — 
And the horses^ speed increases, ' 
For they know the goal is won. 

How speeds the time in leafy Hall, 

Under the evergreens? 
Let ^s join the merry company, 

And view the festal scenes. 
Some at the tables deal out cards; 

Two sit at chess apart ; 
Others are talking politics, 

And earnest glances dart. 
Of slavery, speak in warning words. 

In which sound '^ wrong ^^ and ^^right,^^ 



60 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 

As if the subject soon might breed 

A civil war or fight. 
We join a group^ playing ^^Old Maid^^- 

Game with a fatal card ; 
And with whole heart we enter in 

^Gainst the last queen to guard. 
Just as the old maid falls to Martha^ 

Norah comes walking in 
With plates and napkins — too late now 

A new game to begin. 
The guests around the tables, 

The circles open wider; 
The young folks Philopenas eat, 

The younger ones drink cider. 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 61 

And thus the hours soon speed away, 

And midnight now draws near, 
And Christmas chimes upon the clock 

In tones of loving cheer. 
With hearty wishes to each guest, 

^^Merrie Christmas, one and all/^ 
The guests depart, and leave behind 

Silence in Branksome Hall. 

My lay is of old fashioned days, 

Ere luxury^s prodigal hand 
Corruption and foUy^s seeds had sown 

Broadcast throughout the land. 
Ere a new race of paupers came 



62 CHRISTMAS EVE IJnT BRANKSOME HAl I . 

And filled the land with tramps^ 
And civil war demoralized 

With license of the camps. 
In these good days men slept in peace, 

Secure with doors unbarred, 
Nor life nor property must each 

With constant vigil guard. 
Then each man sought with honest toil 

To earn his daily bread; 
And labor done, conscience at rest, 

He slept in peaceful bed. 
These days were filled with usefulness — 

Each helped his suff'ering brother; 



CHRISTMAS EVE IN BRANKSOME HALL. 63 

The countiy^s rights and wrongs none left 

To be righted by another. 
And [here my truthful tale I end 

Of the good old-fashioned times — 
Of the early ways and customs 

Told in plain^ old-fashioned rhymes. 



